Antrim A2

ANTRIM CASTLE 2747
This is the side of Antrim Castle that the gentry did not see, for here is the entrance for all the staff and deliveries. The blackened upper part of the castle was caused by the fire, but it was standing for a very long time by the young trees growing out of the chimney pots. The castle was still sturdy then and could have been saved as a major tourist attraction, but it was not to be for Antrim Borough Council decided it was not to be and bulldozed it down.

ANTRIM HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY TEAM 2140
This is Antrim High School Hockey team in 1975.
Back Row: are Mrs Mahon (Teacher), Lorraine, Jackie Brady, Josephine Crossan, Alison Busby, Janice Service and Geraldine Freeburn.
Front Row: are Heather Winters, Debby McAuley, Ruth Vennard, Cherry Davis and Della Franklin.

ANTRIM TECHNICAL COLLEGE 1866
This is part of a series of five photos of the students of Antrim Technical College taken in 1964.
2nd Row: from left to right No2 is Bertie Terrill no 3 is Edmund Kelly no 4 is Roy Buckland no 5 unknown No6 is Mels Janse, No 7 is Randall Logan and no 12 is Frank Peacocke
This is because the original photo was 900cm long (3'). sadly I do not have all the names yet.

ANTRIM FOOTBALL TEAM 1756
This photograph of a local football team which is unknown was taken in 1911 in an alley somewhere in Antrim. The only person known is on the left at the front and his name is Johnnie McCartney and he lived in Riverside. Johnnie was also a boxer and won numerous medals, he had a chum who was also a boxer called Victor Pollack. When WW1 broke out Johnnie like thousands of other young men raced to join up. Johnnie joined the Royal Irish Rifles as a Rifleman number 341. Sadly like all other young men Johnnie was killed in action on the fields of Flanders in Belgium on the 8th August 1917. There were many small battles fought then during the Battle of Passchendaele and ironically Johnnie could have been in the Battle of Menin Road Bridge.

ANTRIM TECHNICAL COLLEGE 1865
This is part of a series of five photos of the students of Antrim Technical College taken in 1964. This is because the original photo was 900cm long (3').
---3rd Row: left to right we have 14th (the big boy ) George Duncan, 15th is Jim Mcquillan------------------------------------------then 16th John Coulter.------------------------------------------------2nd Row: left to right 2nd Miss Caldwell taught Booking, 5th is Woodwork Teacher, 6th is Mr ------------- Kennedy - Maths and Sports' 13th is S Boville , 14th is Subash Treon , 15th unknown and 16th is Bertie Terrill.

ANTRIM RAILWAY STATION 1758
It's 1.28pm on the 26th June 1937 here at Antrim Station and the Great Northern T2 class No.63 is ready to depart to Great Victoria Street in Belfast via Knockmore Junction. Being in Antrim had its advantages for you could also go to Belfast on the NCC route via Bleach Green at Whiteabbey to York Road Station. Back then the station was a thriving business as you can see by the goods yard next to the main line.Behind the engine you can see the roof top of one of the houses in Railway Street.

A.B.D. MEMORIAL PIPE BAND 1895
A.B.D. Memorial Pipe Band marching down Church Street with All Saints' Parish church in the background.
The front row from the left we have Robin Steele, Greer Woods, George O'Neill and Frankie Owens. The first three in the next row are Bobby Cameron, Matt McCullough and Davie Hamill. The first in the 3rd row is George Carson.

ARE YE DANCING? 1158
The lads at the dance at Muckamore Abbey Hospital in the 60's are certainly spoilt for choice.
Sure you wouldn't know which one of these lovelies to ask up for a dance.
Well lads here's their names Eileen Nulty, Marie Hemming, Ann McVeigh and Kathleen Peel.

ANTRIM HIGH SCHOOL CRICKET TEAM 1078
No wonder the boys of Antrim High School in 1982 are all smiles they are the winners of Antrim Festival Sports cricket competition after beating rivals
Antrim Grammar School. Here the captain of the team Daryl Patterson is being presented with the "Sir Harry Mullholland Cup" by Ferguson Grainger,
president of Muckamore Cricket Club.

ANTRIM CASTLE 631
This striking shot of Antrim Castle, which was taken in 1962, lets you see where the building stood in relation to the Italian tower and the motte. As you can see the motte is still beautifully tended and spared from mindless vandalism which blights it today. Sadly, however, this picture also shows how the grand old house had been allowed to fall into steep decline since the fire four decades previously. Within a few years centuries of local history were to be demolished forever when the bulldozers tore the Castle to the ground by order of Antrim council. In the distance behind the tree are the houses of the Firfields Estate.

ANTRIM HOCKEY TEAM 1114
Proudly displaying their silverware we have the Antrim Hockey team of 1966.
Back Row: Billy Crawford, Peter Thompson, Michael Campbell, Paddy Marks, Alvin Carson, John Creighton, John McKee, Brian McCabe & James Carson.
Front Row: Francis Baird, Alan Crawford, Billy Harkness, Crawford Carson and Robert Mailey.

ANTRIM FIRE BRIGADE 835
This is the Antrim Fire Team in 1951.
Back Row: 1st left is Sam Scott, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, James George, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Unknown and Unknown.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Front row: Unknown, Section leader Pat Bradley on the his left is John Cochrane and on his right is his brother Michael Bradley. Back then there was no fire station and the engine was kept up at Baird's the undertakers.

ANTRIM CASTLE 632
Taken in 1965 you can see the vandalism that has been done to the front of the castle. The balustrades are all gone and also the frieze above the door has been damaged. Above the frieze are crests and also Family Crests. The black square on the column is where the doorbell was. The poster on the wall says "Warning these ruins are dangerous". Well if the then Antrim Borough Council had strengthened the walls and put in supports we would have had a great tourist attraction. Instead they did nothing and left it to rot and collapse till it couldn't be saved and Antrim Borough Council's own architect ordered it to be pulled down. Thankfully the Environment people stepped in and took down the frieze, the Crests and anything else of value, when the council built a new big Council office they had the nerve to ask the Environment people for all the crests ect back, but sensible Environment people said no and gave them copies. people for all the crests ect back, but sensible Environment people said no and gave them copies. Last year 2022 the Environment people gave Antrim borough Council the originals back as they had no room to store them.
How did the Council get rid of the castle? They used bulldozers and flattened the castle into the ground and another historic icon in Antrim was destroyed sadly more were to follow.

ANTRIM HILLBILLIES 1161
The most famous spot for getting your photograph taken at Portrush was here and you went to Grimason's Studios in Bath Street to collect your photo.
This is the early 60's and the girls are all dressed in their summer frocks and their hillbilly hats while the men still wore a suit and tie!
From the left we have Kathleen Peel, Molly O'Hara, John O'Hara, Patsy Clarke, Marie Hemming and May Peel.

ABBEY VIEW 1082
This is 110 Abbey View at Muckamore these houses were originally for the mill workers.
Standing outside their home we have on the left and on the right Archie McQuilken and Mary McQuilken. In the centre we have Uncle George and Aunt Ell who were here on holiday from America. The year is unknown.

ANTRIM RAILWAY STATION 1357
This is Antrim Railway Station in 1959.
In the background is the old passenger bridge which in some respects was much better than the new one. If you are on the new one when it rains you will get wet, while with the old one it had a canopy keeping you dry.

ANTRIM HOCKEY TEAM 1378
Is there no stopping these guys of Antrim Hockey in 1947 having already won the Irish Junior Cup they have now won the County Hospitals Cup.
Back Row: we have G. McBurney, G. Clarke, B. Fawcett, B. Jardine, R. McNally and R. Nicholl.
Front Row: are J. Baird, M. Hilland, W. Allen, N. Wallace, T. Allen and W. Crawford.

ANTRIM ARMS HOTEL_10
Taken before the spring of 1938 as Antrim Arms Hotel was then destroyed by fire. The three storey hotel in 1902 boasted it had the largest dining room in Antrim at the time seating 100 people. This was a publicity photograph to promote the hotel and the tours that they ran as it was then owned by Sam Facwett. They ran tours all over the North & also down to Dublin.
Did they have Lady Coach drivers then ? because if you look closely at the coach on the left you will see a lady behind the wheel. By 1929 the hotel had catered for over 6,000 tourists, most of these would have been mill workers from Lancashire.

ANTRIM CASTLE 178
This view of the Castle in 1919 just gives you an idea of the size it was. They started building it in 1610 in various stages until 1666 and was shaped like a half 'H' with the main block facing East and two long wings. It was remodelled in mock-Gothic style between 1812 and 1813. Also more renovations were made in the Victorian period. To the right of the picture you can see part of the extensive walled gardens and also the greenhouses. To the extreme left of the picture an arched wall which lead to the Pleasure garden.. The photograph is dated 1919.

ANTRIM TECHNICAL COLLEGE 1864
This is part of a series of five photos of the students of Antrim Technical College taken in 1964. Front Row: are John Andrew (Vice Principal), John Hall (Metalwork), Mr Hunter (Geography), Cecil Ramsey (English), Mr Brownlees - Mechanical Drawing, , Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, John Bell (Principal), Murial Dinsmore [now McMaster] (French), and Mrs Coulter (Science).
Seated on the ground: from the left is Michael Anderson, Eric Ammann who went on to become a aircraft engineer. Perhaps Eric was infulenced by his favourite Teacher Mr Hall who taught metalwork. then David McCullough, Unknown, Unknown, Alan French, Thomas James Beattie, Noel Bell and the rest are unknown
My thanks to Thomas James Beattie and John Hall for a lot of the names.

ANTRIM HOME GUARD -146
F.Row: Unknown, Unknown, Frank Rayford, Jimmy Clarke, Stephen Henry, Billy Craig (Captain), Tommy Thompson, Warren Beggs, Dick Burrowes, Joe Knox and Tommy ?
2nd Row: Robert McNally, Sam Ankatell, John Wallace, Edgar Wallace, Sam Fletcher, Charlie Knox, Crawford Rea, Tom Kelly, Harry Scott, Percy Collins and Billy Cromey.
3rd Row: Robert Donald, Billy Taylor, Billy Simpson, Bob McClennan, Sammy McClennan, Jack McElrea, John Fletcher, Wayne ? and Charlie Donald.
B.Row: Billy Greg, Jimmy Adair, Unknown and Stanley Young. Date of photograph is 1st October 1944.

ANTRIM HOME GUARD -391
This is the 14 -15 Platoons "B" Company, 1st October. 1944.
Back Row: D.Flemming, H.Coulter, T.Smith. S.McKelvey, J.Geddis, J.Shannon, W. Molyneaux, D. Fee, Cpl. A. Wright, J. Wilson.
2nd Row: S. Craig, W. McClure, G. O'Neill, M. Wilson, F. McCrreight, D. Cupples, T. Adair, T. Crowe, J. Beck, J. Reid, R. Steele, E. Crowe.
1st Row: Sgt. A. McQuilken, J. Kane. R. Nicholl, Cpl. J. Wallace, E. Campbell, Cpl. J. Craig, A. Reid, H. Campbell, Sgt. J. McMaster, Sgt. N. Entwistle, Sgt. F. Granger, Sgt. C. Johnston.
Front Row: 1/Sgt. S.L. Clarke, S/Sgt A. Creight, C.S.M. A. Forsythe, Lt. W. A. Reilly, Capt. W. Craig, Lt. D. Stirling, C.Q.M.S. J. McIlveen, P/Sgt. R. Reid, Sgt. J. McMeekin, 1/Sgt. C.J. Brims, Sgt. S. Holmes.

LADYHILL 1833
Here we have Mrs Jean Agnew outside her home at Ladyhill just opposite the Quarry in July 1937. It must have been a warm day as Jean is in short sleeves and the window wide open.
Looking lovingly down at her son Leslie in the pram as she rocks him to sleep.